Ad-Lib Weekend Noods 1: Pasta’d on NOSH and PastaGo

It’s a crowd favourite, and what was initially made on a whim on Instagram is finally turning into something a bit more permanent after some debilitation. Not a difficult decision. So unlike my full-length reviews, Ad-Lib Weekend Noods are basically short reviews, much akin to the reviews on my end-of-the-month wrap up. Not sure how long this will go on, but for now, let’s just jump into the pastas I tried over the last two weeks in October.

Note: unlike my regular reviews, Ad-Lib Weekend Noods posts here will be published whenever I feel like it.

#1: NOSH’s Salmon Mentaiko Pasta

Located in the Henderson Industrial Building, NOSH Bistro @ Henderson Road offers dishes that covers items from what you see in cafes (iced coffee, English breakfast) to the typical Western food to something more unique, like the Salmon Mentaiko pasta I got on my first visit. It was lunch time when I visited on a weekend and packed with plenty of people that were around the area, possibly to escape Singapore’s usual sweltering heat and finding somewhere cool for hungry folks like myself.

Topped with large smoked salmon slices, generous amounts of tobiko (flying fish roe) and thin strips of nori (seaweed sheets), it was definitely an unusual experience with the pasta tasting a little colder than what I expected. Wished the cream sauce could be a little thicker to cling better to the pasta, as I was left with plenty of it after finishing the pasta and smoked salmon on my plate. That said, the sauce was packed with loads of umami (perhaps too much to some people), the tobiko was crunchy, and the pasta did helped to cool me down on a hot day.

Address & Opening Hours:

Address:
213 Henderson Road, #01-05, Singapore 159553

Opening Hours:
Tue to Fri: 11am to 3pm, 5pm to 10pm
Sat & Sun: 11am to 4pm, 5pm to 10pm
Closed on Mon

#2: PastaGo’s Truffle Cream Smoked Duck Pasta (Mafalde with sauteed mushrooms)

Before PastaGo, I have never heard nor tried mafalde pasta and since it was a featured pasta on PastaGo’s menu, I decided to give it a shot and see whether if it’s as great as it was hyped up to be. Named after an Italian princess who died in World War 2 (yes, you heard that right), this ribbon-shaped pasta’s popularity hasn’t caught up with the likes of spaghetti, macaroni and lasagna but when the pasta’s served fresh instead of using boxed pasta, you know that PastaGo’s cooking something special (in more ways than one).

Trying something different for a change, the first strand of mafalde from the truffle cream smoked duck pasta brought a huge smile to my face. With its lace-like appearance and wrinkly texture, the truffle cream was able to cling onto the mafalde so well that only sprinkles of cream was left in my takeaway box. While I find duck a tough meat to break down, it wasn’t stubbornly firm as I thought it would be and it goes perfectly with the truffle cream and pasta.

Probably the only letdown I have with this meal was that a few strands of mafalde were under cooked and left stuck with another strand, which can get a little annoying towards the end of my meal. Issues aside, it was a terrific meal and I don’t mind going back to PastaGo to give their other variants a shot.

Address & Opening Hours (Tampines 1):

Address:
Tampines 1
10 Tampines Central 1, B1-K1, Singapore 529536

Opening Hours:
Mon to Sun, 11am to 9pm